What parts of the Old Testament aren't valid to Christians?

Question

For example, "an eye for an eye" isn't.
Also, I believe there are other rules and beliefs based on the Old Testament which are followed by the Jewish people to this day, but rejected by Christians.
I am not interested in religious debates, or what is right or wrong, I am genuinely interested to know the answer, so please stick to the question and give me facts, thank you.

Answer 1

Actually, when Jesus died on the cross, he negated the laws of the old testament and the new law is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. That is the whole of the law. If we actually do that, we would have no need for any other laws. Would you kill someone or steal from someone or do any other bad thing to someone if you loved them as much as you love yourself?

Answer 2

Well, Sheol isn't valid to Christians.

In the Old Testament, Sheol was an underworld where everyone went after they died, regardless of how righteous or evil they were in life. Think Hades in Greek mythology, the concept is similar. The difference from Hades is that in Sheol everyone would await Judgement Day, rather than staying there forever.

At some point when the Jewish people were living in Jerusalem they broke the Sheol underworld idea into two halves. One being Abraham's bosom, which was a place of comfort where the righteous would await Judgement Day. The other half was Gehenna, a fiery place of torment where the wicked awaited Judgement. This was the first evolution of Sheol. This is the Judaic view of the afterlife.

Christianity doesn't believe in Sheol however, and rejects the idea. They use a second evolution of Sheol. Rather than Gehenna and Abraham's Bosom, it is only Heaven and Hell. That's the Christian view of the afterlife.

Why this fits in with your question is because Sheol still exists in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. In most versions it is translated as a completely different word (usually grave), but with Christianity originating from many of the same Old Testament texts as Judaism, it actually refers to the Sheol at the top of my post. There's a couple Christian Bibles that actually use the word Sheol still, but it's taken on a different meaning.

Answer 3

Pretty much, whatever we feel like invalidating in the Old Testament, we can easily just say "oh, that doesn't apply to us."

Seriously though, the only way you'll get even close to a solid answer is to follow the religious debates and what is right or wrong. There's no verse in the New Testament that says "well, Leviticus chapter 5 can be done away with, and the first three chapters in Numbers as well." If you're asking about tradition, that's up to you. Do you want to do the festivities and stuff according to how they used to do it, or do you want to live in liberty and allow your actions to glorify God without the restraint of routine?

Personally, I would have a hard time following everything. But ever since the New Testament, all that's required is our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is still important, but does not affect salvation, so really none of it is valid (in that sense).

Answer 4

The New Testament is the fullfilment of Old Testament prophecy. In a historical sense, it is all still important to Christians. Christianity has Jewish roots. NT scripture also tells us that Jesus, in the fullness of time, was born of a woman, born under the Law, to deliver from the law those who were subject to it. There is your answer to the "Eye for an Eye" question.

St Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

The Old Testament is filled with prophecy and prefigurement of what we see in the New. They go together, but you must learn the correct way to read Sacred Scripture. Even Peter in the NT warns us that it is not open for personal interpretation. This practice has often gotten many people in trouble.

Answer 5

All those things in the Old Testament that provides for man's justification and righteousness before God by his own works are no longer valid because Christians have by grace the gift of God's righteousness in Christ Jesus to come before God. Under the New Testament Christians are righteous by faith and not by works.

All the curses in the Old Testament are not applicable to Christians because they have been redeemed from the curse of the law by Jesus.

All the blessings in the Old Testament are available to Christians, the blessings are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus.

By acting in love and walking in the Spirit Christians would not be subject to the Old Testament..

Answer 6

There is difference between the "law" and the "old testament".

The "law" is the first 5 books of the Bible. This law was a covenant, or agreement, between God and the nation of Israel. The agreement was this: if the nation of Israel obeyed the laws, they would become a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5, 6). Obviously, the nation of Israel did not live up to their part of the bargain. They did not follow the laws God gave them. God rejected the nation of Israel and a "new nation" was born, the Christian congregation. Christ's death put an end to the law that was given to Israel.

Although Christians are not under obilgation to keep the law given to Israel, the principles are still in affect. Laws change, but God's principles always remain the same. For example, circumcision was a law that kept the Israelites clean in a fleshly way. Christians today keep themselves clean morally and spiritually. "All scripture...is benificial" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) The law is full of principles that teach us about God's ways. As for the other books in the "old testement", they are full of prophecies that are being fulfilled even in our day.

Answer 7

The ot to Christians is a book of teaching used before Jesus Christ came as our savior, and gave the NT and said this is the new law.
As a christian I believe the OT is old world teaching used by the Jewish faith still today.
Yet as Christians, we believe in Christ and his words, words which said that he is the way, and this is is words, the new law to follow. Saying to follow the NT because it is the new law of God.

An eye for an eye is use symbolically.

Answer 8

It's all "valid" it's just that Jesus Christ came to save us from the old Law. Why does this bother people so much? Should we still be stoning each other? It's obviuos on most nights on here that people will grasp at any straw to NOT believe in God how sad is that?

Answer 9

A couple that come to mind are: In Old Testament times the Sabbath Day=day of rest, day of worship, was on Saturday. Since Jesus resurrected from the dead, defeated Satan, made full atonement for our sins-making possible our forgiveness and Heaven, was on a Sunday (the first and actual Easter) the Sabbath, day of worship, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. In Old Testament times people forfeited greatly valued choice livestock to show sorrow and atone for their sins. These animals were slaughtered (blood sacrifice) [sounds barbaric, but we slaughter livestock today for our meat to eat] and they were burnt on an alter dedicating them to God. This practice was no longer needed since the advent of Christ and His death, crucifixion (blood sacrifice) to atone for our sins. His sacrifice was on our behalf and satisfactory to God to forgive us. We no longer need to sacrifice such things. Jesus did it for us in His own body and blood. It's up to us to accept what Jesus did and believe. I don't think there was anything like communion in the Old Testament. Communion was instituted buy Jesus at the "last supper." Jesus tells us to observe communion often in remembrance of Him. I don't know for sure, but I doubt that those of the Jewish faith, practice communion. The Old Testament had prophecies=things to look foreword to, not yet having taken place. The New Testament has the fulfillment of the prophesies. In Old Testament times, salvation came by keeping the law. In New Testament times salvation is by the gospel reflections.

Answer 10

The whole Old Testament is valid, it is just that after Jesus came, died and was resurrected, there is a New Covenant.